Canada announces COVID vaccination mandate for federal employees and travellers

On October 6, the Canadian government announced a COVID-19 vaccination mandate for federal employees and travellers aged 12 and over. According to an announcement, all federal employees in the core public administration must be completely immunised by October 29.

Those who have not been properly vaccinated or who have not disclosed their vaccination status by that date will be placed on administrative leave without pay, according to the statement. To board planes, trains, or marine vessels in Canada, all passengers aged 12 and up must be completely vaccinated by the end of October, according to the government statement.

According to senior officials, around 88% of eligible Canadians have received one COVID-19 vaccination dosage, and about 82% of eligible Canadians have been fully vaccinated, ANI reported.

Canada reported 1,007 new cases of COVID-19 as of October 6 noon, increasing the total number of cases to 1,644,481, including 28,068 deaths, according to data from Canadian media sites.

Canada's COVID guidelines for Indian travellers

After a more than five-month ban, Canada on September 26 had declared that direct flights from India would be allowed and the new regulations came into effect on September 27.

Travellers must, however, show documentation of a negative COVID-19 test from a certified Genestrings Laboratory at the Delhi airport, taken within 18 hours of the direct flight's scheduled departure, according to Transport Canada. When the second wave of COVID-19 infections hit India in April, Canada halted all direct flights to and from India.

UK's COVID guidelines for Indian travellers 

The United Kingdom has altered its COVID-19 travel guidelines, classifying Indians who have received the Covishield vaccine as "unvaccinated." While the limits have been modified for persons who have received two doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, the same version of the vaccine made in India by Pune-based Serum Institute of India has been excluded. 

India, on the other hand, has already stopped providing e-visas to citizens of the UK and Canada. They must apply for a normal stamp visa to visit India. After these countries established immigration restrictions on Indian nationals, certain measures were taken.

On October 1, the New Delhi government announced that British nationals visiting India would be subjected to COVID-19 testing and a 10-day quarantine, identical to the requirements imposed on Indian residents visiting the UK.

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